A/N: Hey, peops, I'm back. Did anybody miss me? Nope, doesn't look like it! lol

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 20

Rory was acting weird. Jess wasn't willing to come out and say as much to her, especially not with her being pregnant and everything, but something was definitely up. The problem was, he had asked her what was going on at least three times now, and every time, she said she was fine.

He thought maybe she had a fight with Lorelai, but that was a no. He asked if she was feeling okay, if she was having any new pregnancy symptoms, and she said no. In the end, he asked if he had done something wrong, sure she would have told him by now if he had, but feeling it best to check anyway. Also no.

Jess was out of ideas and out of patience. It was easier to get out of the house than keep on torturing himself. Heading over to the diner, he was glad to find there were few customers around and that Luke was just taking in a delivery.

"Hold on a sec, I'll give you a hand," he said, hurrying across the street and grabbing the next box from the sidewalk.

"Thanks, but you know I can manage, right?" said his uncle with a look. "Yes, I am getting older but-,"

"Relax, nobody's questioning your masculinity or whatever," Jess assured him, rolling his eyes as he did so. "I was here anyway and I just figured two people can move stuff twice as fast as one."

Luke seemed to accept that and allowed his nephew to help, but the look on his face was just this side of sceptical. Jess ought to have known Luke would see through him in a second. He had almost always had that ability, even before they knew each other well. After all these years, the connection between uncle and nephew wasn't quite up to the mother-daughter Gilmore girls standard, but it was close.

When the boxes were safely stowed in the storeroom, Luke put himself between Jess and the door, folding his arms across his chest.

"Okay, out with it."

"Out with what?" Jess shrugged, trying for oblivious, even though he knew his uncle was never going to buy it. "Don't know what you're talking about."

"Jess, you're not seventeen anymore and my already-thin patience wore down to nothing a while back," Luke countered. "What is going on with you and, I'm guessing, Rory?"

Heaving a sigh, Jess took a step back and perched himself on one of the larger packing crates, running a hand over his face before he spoke. "I don't know," he said honestly. "I mean, there is something going on. Rory's been weird since after dinner at the house last night, but she won't tell me what's wrong. I asked. A lot," he explained. "She says it's not Lorelai, it's not me, and it's not the baby. I could go on and ask if it's a bunch of other things, but I think I'm starting to piss her off with the questions, since the way she keeps on telling me she's fine is starting to sound less and less like she actually is."

Luke make a face. "Fine is never good."

"Tell me about it."

It wasn't as if Jess expected Luke to have all the answers. No man could ever truly understand a woman when she was so hell-bent on not being understood. Jess had hoped that he and Rory were beyond this kind of thing, that they were all for being honest and open about everything. He was certainly trying to keep up his end of that bargain and, for the most part, Rory seemed to be too, until last night and this morning.

"Maybe it's just, you know, woman stuff," said Luke, waving his hand in a vague gesture and looking just about as awkward as a person could. "Pregnancy and bodily functions and..."

"I already told you, I asked if that's what it was," Jess reminded him. "She said no. If it was something like that, she'd tell me, I know she would. It's not Rory to keep stuff like that from me."

"But you think she's keeping something from you?"

"No. Yes. I don't know." Jess all-but growled in frustration, unsure how to explain, never mind proceed. "I don't know what's going on, I just know something is, but if she won't talk to me about it, I don't know what I'm supposed to do, Luke."

"Yeah, I don't either," his uncle admitted, moving to sit alongside Jess. "I mean, I could ask Lorelai to talk to her..."

"No. Thanks, but no," Jess insisted. "It seemed to start with those two talking anyway. I mean, we were all fine at dinner, then when we were doing the dishes and they were in the living room by themselves, that seemed to be where things got weird," he explained, before suddenly having a thought. "Hey, did Lorelai say anything to you about what they were talking about?"

Luke shook his head, which was mostly what Jess expected. "Not that I remember. You know those two and their girly talks, it's nothing they're going to tell us about."

"Except they really should if it has something to do with us," said Jess firmly. "Something is going on, Luke, and I want to know what."

"Then why are you here?"

That question made Jess frown.

"Come on, nephew, you're not a kid anymore, and even when you were, just because you dropped out of high school, we both know you were never stupid," Luke continued, getting to his feet once more. "If you have a problem at home with your pregnant girlfriend, then you go ask her what is wrong. You find out what's happening and you figure it out. You don't need me to tell you this, so again, I'm asking, why are you here?"

It would have been easy to say he didn't know. Jess had his mouth open to do that, the words right there on his tongue, but he didn't say them. If he had, it would have been a lie. He knew exactly why he was over at the diner talking with Luke instead of persevering in finding out what had put Rory in such a strange mood. The worst part was, Jess realised very quickly that he was going to have to admit it.

"I'm here, because if I stay home, I'm going to have to really find out what the problem is with Rory."

"And?"

"And... it scares the crap outta me that it's something I won't be able to fix."

At Jess' confession, Luke sighed. "Yeah, I know, but Jess, you have got to know, after all this time, that you and Rory, you're solid enough to come through anything. I know it's been a long, long road for the two of you, believe me, I get it, but you know, it wasn't so much different for Lorelai and me. Things get rough sometimes, people get mad or act strange, it happens, but when you love each other, like I know you and Rory do, you can get through it. I promise you, you can."

He wouldn't have talked like that to anyone else, Jess knew. Luke Danes wasn't that guy. The one that was comfortable talking about feelings and such, but he had them, just the same as Jess did. At least they felt they could confide in each other these days. That wasn't nothing.

"You're right," he admitted, running a hand over his face one more time. "I know you're right, I just... kind of wish you weren't," he said with a smirk.

"Be easier, wouldn't it?" Luke nodded. "But sometimes, you just gotta have the awkward conversation. There's no way around it."

With that said, Jess thanked his uncle for the advice and got up to leave. He had to go and talk to Rory and it had to be immediately, before he had a chance to reconsider. It was never something he wanted to do, jumping into the big awkward conversation that could lead to not good. His instincts always told him to run screaming from that kind of thing, no doubt a result of genetics, a little too much Mariano DNA running around inside him. Still, it was something he had to learn to over-ride, that he had learned to be better about over the years, and especially these past few months. Didn't mean he liked it any better, just meant he was going to do it anyway.

Back at his own front door, Jess took a couple of really deep breaths before putting his key into the door and heading inside. He just hoped Rory was still there and actually willing to talk with him, now that he felt as prepared as he was ever going to in facing this situation with her.

"Jess?"

He honestly wasn't sure if he felt relieved or nervous when he heard her call his name the second he closed the front door again.

"Right here," he called back, finding her a smile as she descended the stairs and met him in the hallway. "You okay?"

"Yes," she told him, in a way that seemed somewhat more genuine than the last time somehow. "I just needed to talk to you and you were gone."

"I took a walk, went to see Luke," he explained, shifting awkwardly in place. "Look, Ror..."

"I know," she said immediately, reaching for his hand. "I've been a little weird and secretive, and none of it was fair, but I have a reason, I swear."

He had kind of assumed that she might go on to explain what the reason was, but Rory soon stalled, eyes going everywhere but on him. Jess was about to prompt her to go on, when she pulled on his hand and brought him to the couch where they both sat down.

"Okay, so I have this whole speech prepared and I'd appreciate if you'd let me get through the whole thing before you say anything, okay?"

"I guess," Jess nodded uncertainly, a little wary of where this was all headed. "Just, before you start, are we in a good news place or a bad news place?"

"Good news," Rory said fast, causing an unexpectedly loud sigh of relief to escape from Jess' lips. "At least, I think it's good and I'm hoping you will too. Any more questions?"

"Nope."

"Okay then." Rory took a deep breath, seeming to centre herself before she began this prepared speech that had Jess so intrigued. "So, we've known each other a really long time now. Sometimes, I feel like it's been forever and that there was never a time when you weren't in my life, which is crazy, because obviously we were seventeen before we met, but you became so important so fast, Jess. Even when we were apart, even when things were bad between us, I always knew we'd find a way through, to be friends even if we weren't together, and we always did. Now, finally, we're in the same place at the same time. We have a house and a baby on the way, and that is all so great, really, I love this life that we're building together."

Though she had assured him of good news, Jess just new the next word out of Rory's mouth was going to be 'but'. It thrilled him not at all to realise he was right as she went on, though he tried not to let it show on his face.

"But I just started to think that maybe there was something missing. Not a major thing, or maybe it is, I don't know. I keep on going around in circles in my head trying to decide, so I figured the best way to know for sure is to see what you think. Jess..." she paused, he wondered if for dramatic effect, as she squeezed his hand in hers and made a point of meeting his eyes. "I love you. I am so in love with you, sometimes I don't even know how it took so long for me to realise or do something about it. I hate the idea of regrets, I don't want to have any at all, but sometimes, I can't help but be mad about all the time we wasted, and I know I don't want to waste anymore. So, I was wondering, given how much I love you, and how much you say you love me, and this whole happy life that we're building together... do you want to marry me?"

"Huh."

To Be Continued...